


Beauty from the depths of the sea

by katychan666



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Cute, Fluff, Human Alec Lightwood, M/M, Merman Magnus Bane, Romance, long oneshot, merman au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 18:26:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8764111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katychan666/pseuds/katychan666
Summary: Alec is completely fascinated by a sea creature and even though he doesn't know what it is, he couldn't help himself but to stare at it in complete awe every single night. When he learns that the sea creature is actually a beautiful merman Magnus Bane, he falls in love with him almost immediately.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I tried something different again. I don't know how it turned out to be honest... Lately I am somehow quite self-conscious about my writing, so i hope you still like it, even though it sucks?  
> Thanks for reading.  
> Comments and opinions are well appreciated.

* * *

 

_The meeting_

* * *

 

Alec wasn’t the type of person that loved the water in general. In fact, he hated it, because when he was really little, he almost drowned. From that point on, he despised the water and for years he couldn’t even bring himself to go near the sea. But after moving closer to the beach, he slowly found himself going there every day. He didn’t go there to swim; he was still terrified of the water. Not only that, but he couldn’t swim as well. However, being on the beach helped him to relax, especially when he was alone. Since his move, he found himself spending quite some time at the beach and before he knew it, his eyes laid upon one of the most fascinating and beautiful things that was out there.

Alec was walking on the beach with a small smile upon his face. It was night time already, so he was completely alone on the beach and this was the way that he liked his walks. Walking alone always helped the young man to clear his thoughts. Not only that, but sometimes, if he was lucky enough, he got a chance to see one of the most fascinating sea creatures that his eyes had ever seen. He didn’t know what that creature was, because he never dared to go too close to it since he didn’t want to frighten it, but he knew that it was really beautiful. He loved how the creature looked in the moon light and he knew that it loved playing alone in the sea, but that was about it. It only came out at night, Alec assumed because it was scared of other people and he enjoyed watching it jumping out of the sea… it was really a beautiful sight.

Alec’s mood brightened at the thought of seeing the beautiful sea creature again and he made his way to the usual spot that he would watch the creature. It wasn’t too far from the shore, but it was still hidden enough so that he couldn’t get seen by the other one. He then sat down onto the sand and leaned back, leaning his back against the rock and he then allowed himself to close his eyes for a few moments or so. Just listening to the waves hitting against the shore was enough to make Alec’s worries disappear in a heartbeat and he then opened his eyes. He knew that he needed to be patient, because the creature needed some time to appear. There were times that it wouldn’t show up and the only thing that Alec could do was to hope that his eyes were going to be able to catch the beauty of the creature that night as well.

“I guess I won’t be able to see it tonight,” he muttered to himself after a while and then shrugged. He felt a bit disappointed, he couldn’t lie about that. But still, he knew that there wasn’t anything that he could do about it. He then got onto his legs and walked closer to the sea, his heartbeat fastening a little bit as the memories from his childhood started appearing in front of his eyes. He quickly shook his head and then sighed. “I need to get rid of this fear, it’s ridiculous to be living this close to the beach and still being afraid of the water.”

As he continued to watch the sea, he needed to admit it to himself that it looked beautiful in the night time; it looked quite magical as the moon was illuminating against the sea and as his smile grew, his fear slowly started fading away. Then an idea popped into his mind; maybe he could try getting inside just to see if he would be still afraid of the water? Alec gulped and took in a deep breath, because he knew that there was no way that he could do something like that. On the other hand, he was completely alone, so there was no one who would laugh at his poor attempt of hiding his fear.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said to himself and nodded. “Probably.”

With that on his mind, he quickly got rid of most of his clothes, until he was standing there only in his underwear and he sighed. Suddenly, it felt really cold even though it was in the middle of the summer. Alec then pressed his lips together and gently tapped his own cheeks. “It’s going to be alright, it’s not like the sea is going to attack me or something like that,” he muttered at himself and his face grew hot with embarrassment. Thank god that he was completely alone. “There goes nothing,” he then added before he finally decided to step closer to the sea.

The first few steps weren’t even that bad. He decided to go even deeper into the sea and he stopped when the water reached up to his chest. “This isn’t so bad,” he said to himself and then nodded, even though his heart was beating pretty fast. He then closed his eyes and allowed himself to get used to the feeling of being in the sea again after so many years. It wasn’t a bad feeling at all; he quite liked it and after a while a small chuckle left his lips. He then opened up his eyes again and made a few steps forwards, going even deeper and stopped when the water reached his neck.

Just as he was about to relax again and close his eyes, he could see a sudden movement of the water in front of him and his eyes widened; whatever it was, it was coming closer to him and it was moving fast. Alec panicked at that and quickly turned around, because he wanted to be out of the water as soon as it was possible. However, he didn’t make it far and a loud yelp left his lips as he was pulled underwater.

For the first few seconds, Alec didn’t know what was going on. He closed his eyes shut, his body froze and his mind was completely blank. When he tried moving, his fear started rising because an unknown weight was pulling him further away from the shore and without even thinking too much, he opened up his mouth in order to cry out for help. But since he was still underwater, that was a huge mistake and his eyes snapped open when water started pouring inside of his mouth. Memories started flashing in front of his eyes and he started struggling, moving his limbs frantically in order to free himself. Suddenly, whatever was holding onto him, released him and for a split second, Alec was glad about that. However, he was quite soon remembered by the fact that he couldn’t swim and the more that he tried to get above the water, the deeper he was sinking.

‘I’m going to die,’ he thought to himself and almost started crying at that thought. He knew it, he shouldn’t have gotten in the water in the first place. He could feel that he was getting out of breath and he brought his hands around his neck, even though he didn’t know how that was going to help him. Just as he was about to give into his faith, he felt a pair of arms wrapping around his waist and pulling him up.

Alec started coughing when he was finally able to get some much needed air into his lungs and he clung desperately on whoever it was that had saved him. He wrapped his arms around that person’s neck and buried his face into his shoulder, trying to even out his breathing. “T-thank you,” he finally managed to say and he pulled back a little. “…You saved my life.”

“That was the least I could do. I am the reason that you almost drowned in the first place,” said a soft voice and Alec’s eyes widened when he finally saw the person. It was a young man, that didn’t look much older than he was and Alec couldn’t believe his eyes when he looked down. He was expecting the other one to be a normal human being, so he was shocked when he saw instead of seeing another pair of legs beneath them, a beautiful, blue tail.

“W-what are you?” asked Alec, quite afraid by that point.

The other one seemed to be offended by the way Alec asked that and he swam towards the shore, letting go of Alec when he was sure that the other one could stand up on his own. “ _What?_ I’m not a _thing._ You sure are a nice person,” said the other one and puffed his cheeks. “My name is Magnus,” he then added.

“I’m Alec,” he muttered and then narrowed his eyes. The more that he kept observing the other one, the more he seemed familiar to him. Was he the creature that Alec had observed for so long? Alec’s eyes grew wider at that and he shook his head. “Are you a mermaid?”

“Do I seem like a girl do you?” asked Magnus and crossed his arms in annoyance. “But yeah… to put it simple for you, yes I am,” he then added and smiled, because it was obvious to him that the other one was quite shocked. “See? I’m half human and half fish,” he then continued and brought his tail above the water.

Alec blinked a few times as the tail was brought up to him and his hand moved on his own, gently touching the tail. “T-the tail… it’s real,” he said quietly, but loud enough for Magnus to hear him. “So you really are a…”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Magnus and rolled his eyes.

“You’re beautiful,” blurted Alec out loud and Magnus chuckled.

“Is that why you were always watching me?” he asked and Alec looked up at him.

“You knew?”

“I’m not stupid, you know,” he said and chuckled. “I usually dislike humans, but something about you interested me, so I kept coming up when I knew that you were going to be here. Today I tried to pull a prank on you, but I failed… I didn’t know that you couldn’t swim, I'm sorry,” he said and scratched the back of his head.

“That’s… fine,” said Alec, who had already forgotten all about that; he was too shocked to actually see a living and breathing merman in front of him. “Are you really real? I’m just dreaming, aren’t I?”

“I’m afraid you aren’t.”

“Oh,” was all that left Alec’s mouth and he then looked down, unable to form any more sentences. He didn’t know how to react at all.

“What’s wrong? Are you disappointed now?” asked Magnus with a small voice and Alec’s eyes snapped up at him. “Are you afraid of me?”

“I’m not afraid of you, I’m just shocked,” explained Alec. “I was always interested in what you actually were, but I would have never though that you would turn out to be a merman,” he said and noticed that Magnus had a troubled expression on his face. “I still think that you’re beautiful, that hasn’t changed,” he quickly stated. “Why didn’t you say something if you knew I was watching you?”

“I was too afraid,” said Magnus with a small voice. “Humans are afraid of me most of the time,” he added and shrugged. “I didn’t know how you would react, so I kept silent. I was hoping that you would come and talk to me on your own… I don’t know why, but I wanted to get to know you better.”

“And now you can,” said Alec with a small smile, extending out his hand to the other one. “Nice to meet you, Magnus.”

Magnus watched the other one in confusion and he frowned when Alec extended his arm out. Since he wasn’t used to humans and their customs, he just stared at Alec’s hand and then looked up at him. “What are you doing?” he whispered and when Alec sent him a confused look, Magnus pointed to his hand.

Alec started laughing and Magnus’s cheeks became red with anger and embarrassment. “Just take my hand,” said Alec when he stopped laughing and Magnus slowly took it. “This is how humans greet each other when they first meet… before they become good friends.”

“Friends?” asked Magnus with a small smile and he then looked away. Having a friend was something unknown to him since he was used to being alone, he was since he was born. However, even though he was used to it, he could still feel that something was missing in his heart… that hole seemed to fill itself when he took Alec’s hand and shook it.

“I have a feeling that we will become good friends in the future,” said Alec and Magnus just nodded, his smile never leaving his face.

 

 

* * *

 

_Falling for you_

* * *

 

In the next few weeks, Magnus and Alec had gotten pretty close to each other. Alec would go down to the beach every day after all of the people would be already gone, so that he and Magnus were able to be alone and not disturbed by others. The other one was afraid that other people might be scared of him, so that was why he was hiding from the other and Alec liked it; he didn't want others of finding out about Magnus; he wanted the other one be his little secret. As the days progressed, he got to know many new things about his new friend and he had to admit it that the other one was pretty amazing.

For example, Alec was shocked to hear that Magnus didn't even know what a friend was at first. The other one spent most of his days alone, and rarely met another creature just like him. He didn't have the chance to get to meet his parents and siblings and when Alec asked him if he was lonely, he didn't even know what loneliness was. Alec was pretty shocked to hear that, because he was the kind of person who got easily lonely and didn't like spending time alone. He promised to himself that he will show to Magnus what having a friend was like, because he didn't want the other one to be alone ever again. He didn't quite know it how he was going to make this new relationship work, since the other one didn't have legs to follow him on land and neither he could follow Magnus down to the sea... but that didn't matter at the time.

Alec was currently in his apartment and was looking outside the window, observing the beach. Since it wasn't that late yet, there were still some people, so he decided to wait for a little bit, but in the end he couldn't wait anymore and he decided that he would just have to wait for the other one on the beach. He got changed into his swimsuit and before he left his apartment, he remembered himself to take a towel as well. Even though he didn't know how to swim, he still went into the water, especially now that he had Magnus; he wasn't afraid of the sea anymore. Magnus had promised him that he would teach him how to swim, but to Alec that seemed like a mission impossible, knowing that something like that wasn't going to happen to him. However, he didn't even mind it too much; he was just happy that he got a chance to spend time with someone as beautiful and fascinating as Magnus was.

When Alec stepped inside of the elevator, he looked himself in the mirror and observed himself in it for a little while. Only then he had remembered that Isabelle had dyed his hair into a red colour. Since she was a hairdresser, she loved experimenting with new ideas on Alec and because the colour was only temporary, the young man decided to go along with it. A cheeky smile came upon his face; he wondered what kind of reaction Magnus was going to make since the other one didn't know a lot of things about humans. Just the other day, he didn't know what hand shake meant and the young man chewed on his lower lip, the corners of his lips curling up into a big smile. Before the elevator's door opened, Alec looked up into the mirror one last time and then let out a deep breath when the door was opened. He slowly made his way down to the beach and placed his things into his usual spot, sitting down on the sand and he waited for people to leave.

After another hour or so, he was finally left alone on the beach and his heartbeat started beating faster with excitement and happiness; finally after a long day he was going to be able to see Magnus! He walked closer to the sea and then stepped inside it, getting his feet wet and his body trembled at the sudden coldness; it sure felt nice. “Magnus, it's safe to come out now. It's only me here, other people have left,” he said, speaking softly, but he knew that the other one could hear him.

Magnus was currently swimming around the sea and he could hear Alec calling for him. His eyes widened a bit and then a smile spread across his face. He was happy that Alec was there already and he sank lower, smiling when he saw a big shell on the sea ground. Because he wanted to give something to Alec as a present, he opened up the shell and a beautiful pearl fell from it. He caught it with his hand and then his grip around it tightened a little bit and he wondered; was Alec going to like his little gift?

As Magnus was swimming towards the shore, his whole body was growing a bit warmer and he bit down onto his lower lip. It was scary how much he had changed after meeting Alec; before he was completely fine with being alone, but now not so much. He found himself thinking about Alec most of the time and all that he did during days was waiting for him to come and visit him. No one was able to make him feel what Alec did and somehow, he liked the feeling even though he didn't exactly know what that kind of feeling was. His heart fluttered with joy when he would see Alec and most of the times, he just couldn't stop smiling around the other one.

Alec frowned because Magnus didn't come out right away and he frowned; where the hell was the other one? Magnus would always show up after calling him for the first time, but now he had called the other one's name quite a few times and Magnus still didn't show any signs of coming out of the water. He sighed, shrugged and then turned around, walking away from the water. Magnus's eyes widened when he saw Alec walking back on the beach and he panicked.

“Alec, wait... don't leave!” he quickly said and Alec quickly turned around, happy to see Magnus in the sea. “I'm here,” added Magnus then and signed the other one to come closer.

“What took you so long?” asked Alec softly as he walked into the water, his body shivering because he still hadn't gotten used to the coldness of it and Magnus cocked his head to the side when he saw that Alec's body appeared to be shivering.

“Oh, I went and got you something,” said Magnus with a small voice and Alec's heart jumped when he saw a beautiful pearl in the other one's hand. Magnus moved closer to him and handed him the pearl. “Here you go, it's nothing special, but I wanted to give you something,” he went on by saying and smiled when he saw the way Alec was observing the pearl.

“Nothing special?” asked Alec in disbelief. He took the pearl when it was handed to him and he then turned it around in his hands a few times, before his smile reappeared on his face.  “It's beautiful, Magnus. Thank you so much.”

Alec then stepped out of the water and carried the pearl into his bag, since he didn't want to lose it. After that, he hurried back into the water and Magnus had to chuckle when he saw that the other one was in hurry. “Are you feeling cold?” asked Magnus then when he saw that Alec's body was still shivering a little bit.

“Yeah, but don't worry about it. I need some time to get used to the water's temperature,” he explained.

Magnus nodded and then observed Alec again, only then realising that Alec's hair appeared to be in a different colour. It wasn't dark anymore, instead, it was a dark red colour and without even thinking about it twice, he reached up with his hand and touched it. He really didn't know to expect what was going to happen. Because it was so red, he was half of expecting Alec's hair to be on fire, no matter how ridiculous the idea seemed to him. But much to his surprise, nothing happened when touched Alec's hair and he frowned... why was it so red, then? Was Alec sick? Did he possess magical powers?

Alec narrowed his eyes when he saw that Magnus was thinking about something and just as he was about to ask him what was wrong, the other one touched his hair and he smiled, knowing exactly what was going on in Magnus's mind. The confusion that was written all over Magnus's face had to be one of the most adorable things that Alec ad seen in his life and he allowed him to touch his hair for a little longer; it wasn't like he hated it anyway.

“Why is your hair red?” asked Magnus after a little while and let go of it. “Does it hurt?”

“Why would it hurt?” asked Alec and blinked a few times.

“It's red,” stated Magnus. “Fire is red as well.”

“Oh,” said Alec and chuckled. “No it doesn't hurt.”

“Then why is it so red?”

“I dyed it this morning,” explained Alec and the furrow between Magnus's eyebrows deepened. “I changed the colour of my hair with paint for hair.”

“You can do that?” whispered Magnus and touched his own hair. Alec burst into laughter at Magnus's comment and Magnus puffed his cheeks, hiding half of his face under the water. Alec took that as a sign to stop laughing and he then just nodded.

“Yeah, you can do that,” he said and then came closer to Magnus. “What do you think, does it look good on me?”

Magnus nodded and smiled. “Yeah.”

After a few moments of silence, Magnus suddenly grabbed Alec's wrist and started swimming further into the sea, dragging the other one behind him. The young man followed him at first but when the water reached up to his neck, he panicked and yanked Magnus's hand away in panic. He quickly made a few steps back, so that he was sure that he could stand properly and he sent Magnus an annoyed look.

“What do you think you're doing?” he asked him, his whole body still shaking from fear. “You know I can't swim, so what the hell were you thinking when you-?”

“There's no need to get so rude about it,” replied Magnus innocently and shrugged. “I just wanted to teach you how to swim, you know,” he said. “It would be great if you could swim. That way, we would be able to go swimming together... don't you think that sounds great?”

“It does, and I would like to do that as well... but not yet,” said Alec and looked down. “I haven't told you the reason why I can't swim and why I'm so reluctant of even giving it a try, have I?”

“No.”

“When I was just a kid my dad was teaching me how to swim, I loved the water. We didn't live close to the sea, like I am now, so I would really like it when my parents would take me swimming during the holidays. However,” he said and made a short pause. He closed his eyes and his heart started beating faster when he remembered being trapped under the water, unable to bring himself up, above the water and his heart shrunk at the memory. “My dad took me fishing with him once when I was still young and I don't know how it happened... I think I was just being stupid... I fell from the boat into the water. At that time I didn't know how to swim yet and I almost drowned. Luckily my dad was able to save me and everything ended up good. But still, to this day, I'm afraid of the water,” he said. “Or at least I was scared of it. You were able to help a little bit, but I'm still not ready...”

“I understand,” said Magnus, feeling a little bad, especially after what he did the first time that they met. No wonder that Alec reacted that way. “And I'm sorry.”

“That's okay,” said Alec and shrugged. “You didn't know. Also, when I'll be ready enough, I will let you know and if you'll still want to... you can teach me to swim then.”

“It's a deal,” said Magnus and giggled.

They continued to hang out in the water for a little while, until Alec kind of cold and he knew that he needed to go out of the water. Magnus noticed that as well and his eyes widened when he saw that Alec's lips were trembling as well. He placed his palm again the other one's cheek and sighed when he felt it was cold as ice. His heart sunk at that realisation, because that meant that their time had come to an end for that day.

“Are you cold?”

“Y-yeah, I think I should go out,” he said and quickly made his way to the shore. He then wrapped his trembling body into the towel, drying himself up and he felt warmer quite soon.

“Okay,” said Magnus and swam as close to the shore as he could, carefully watching Alec. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah, much better,” he replied with a smile and then frowned when he saw the troubled expression on the other one's face. “What's wrong, Magnus?”

“You will have to go now, right?” asked Magnus and he started moving his tail in slow motions. “I don't want you to go yet... I don't like it when you leave.”

Alec was taken back a little bit by Magnus's sudden confession, but in the end he nodded, knowing how the other one felt. “I know, I feel the same,” he said and then shrugged. “You know, we can still hang out, I don't need to go yet.”

“Awesome,” said Magnus, whose tail was now happily moving around and Alec just had to chuckle. “I want to go out of the water and sit down next to you... there,” he said and pointed to the place next to Alec's things.

“Sounds good,” said Alec and nodded.

Magnus's smile widened and he then came even closer, clumsily sitting down onto the wet sand and there helplessly looked around; there was no way he could get there on his own. He sent Alec a desperate look and the other one came closer. “That's as far as I can go on my own,” he said. “Help me?” he then asked and extended his arms, in order for Alec to carry him there.

“Okay,” said Alec and picked up the other one bridal style and was surprised when he felt how heavy Magnus actually was. Magnus let out a small yelp when he was lifted of the ground and he wrapped his arms around the young man's neck, holding tightly onto him. He knew that Alec wouldn't release him, but still... someone carrying him was a new feeling to Magnus. Alec placed Magnus down quite soon and then sat down next to him. “Here you go,” he said and Magnus's smile widened.

“Thanks,” he said and he then leaned back a little bit, supporting himself onto his hands. Magnus moved his tail a bit, burying it under the sand, which was still warm from the sun and he let out a happy sigh. “This feels nice.”

“Agreed,” said Alec, who couldn't tear his eyes away from the other one. This was the first time that he was able to see the other one like this and he had to admit it to himself that Magnus looked quite magical. Magnus's pale skin and his blue tail, looked even more stunning in the moonlight and he chuckled. “You're beautiful,” he said again, making Magnus look at him in a second.

“Again with that?” he asked and frowned.

“I'm only stating the truth,” said Alec and smiled.

Magnus didn't say anything after that. He looked up at the sky, admiring the beauty of the moon and the stars; the night really was beautiful especially with Alec by his side. He dared to look to his side when he felt Alec's eyes on him and the way that the young man was looking at him, shook Magnus right to the core. Alec moved a bit closer to him and then placed his hand over the other one's, smiling when Magnus did nothing to stop him. It felt like electricity when they touched and Magnus had to remind himself to breath; the feeling was that intense.

'Ah, I finally understand what is this feeling,' thought Alec to himself. 'I love him.'

With that on his mind, Alec placed his head on top of Magnus's shoulder and then closed his eyes. Magnus's eyes widened when he felt a sudden weight drop on his shoulder, but he quickly smiled and then placed his head on top of Alec's and gently squeezed Alec's hand, which was still resting in his.

 

 

* * *

 

_I do trust you_

* * *

 

“For the love of god, Alec, let go of me!” snapped Magnus at the other male, who was holding onto him for his dear life. The two of them were in the middle of 'swimming lessons', but the way that Magnus saw it, the other one was never going to swim if he would just keep holding onto him. He understood that Alec was afraid of water, but after almost two hours of begging and persuading Alec to let go of him, Magnus was beginning to be annoyed with him. Not only that, but they were even that far away from shore. The water was deep enough that Alec couldn't stand up, but still...

“No!” yelped the young man and tightened his hold around Magnus's neck. He then closed his eyes and started kicking with his legs, in order to keep himself above the water, but in the end all that he managed to do was to kick the other one's tail and Magnus let out a loud whine of pain, followed by a loud curse. “I'm gonna die, I know it... you're gonna let go of me!”

“Don't be paranoid, Alec!” barked Magnus, who had it enough. He was seriously temped to let Alec go and leave him to figure it out on his own how to swim. He then let out a small sigh and managed to control his anger just enough to calm down Alec, who was still holding tightly onto him. When he tried to free himself from Alec's grip, the other one held him even tighter and Magnus's eyes widened because he suddenly couldn't breathe and he rolled his eyes. Alec's stupidity was going to kill both of them in the end. “I-I can't breathe, you're holding too tightly!” he said and Alec's eyes widened. His grip loosened up a little bit, but he still wouldn't let go.

“S-sorry,” stuttered out the young male and looked down. “I'm scared, I'm sorry... I don't know what to do,” he then added and looked down in embarrassment. Not only that, but he felt bad because when he let go, Magnus started coughing and he sighed. “I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you.”

“I'm fine,” said Magnus in the end and managed to push his annoyance away. “Now tell me this, do you trust me?”

“Yeah,” said Alec with a small voice and looked up at the smiling face. Thank god, Magnus didn't look angry.

“Then do as I say, okay?” tried Magnus again and his smile widened when Alec nodded, his eyes still full of fear. “Now, let go off me, okay?” asked the merman and Alec quickly shook his head; there was no way he could do that! He would just end up drowning. Just as he was about to say something in protest, he felt a pair of arms wrapping around his waist and holding him tightly. He felt out of breath when his chest touched Magnus's and he then looked away. “I'm holding you, see? I won't let go off you, I promise. Do you believe me?”

“Yeah... okay,” replied Alec, not trying to think too much about drowning and he decided to fully trust Magnus.

“Good, now do it.”

Alec let out a deep sigh and he then slowly brought his arms down. But since he found that position to be awkward, he brought his arms up again, placing them on top of Magnus's and his hands gently held Magnus's shoulders. Magnus's body shuddered when the other one's arms were placed on top of his, but he quickly shook his head because he knew that he needed to concentrate.

“Don't be so stiff,” commented Magnus, because he could feel that Alec's muscles were very tense. “Come on relax; be one with the sea... that's the only way you'll be able to overcome your fear of it.”

“I'll try,” said Alec and nodded.

“Close your eyes, it'll help.”

Alec did as he was told and his eyelids slowly fluttered shut and he could feel that his body was slowly relaxing. Magnus smiled when he noticed that as well and for a little while, he just staid in place, holding Alec in his arms. Magnus needed to admit it; the young man looked pretty stunning himself and when he swallowed, his throat felt unbelievably dry. An invisible force was drawing him closer to Alec's face and when he was just a few centimetres away from his lips, Magnus woke himself up from his fantasies and only then he realised that his face was feeling really hot. He then cleared his throat and forced a small smile.

“Good,” he said, his voice small and Alec opened up his eyes.

“Can I swim around for a little bit?” asked Magnus and noticed how Alec's eyes filled themselves with fear and terror. “Don't worry I'll be careful not to let go of you. I promise.”

“Okay,” replied Alec with a whisper and then wrapped his arms around Magnus's neck, just to feel a bit safer. When he saw that Magnus didn't protest it this time, he felt a little bit relieved and he relaxed his muscles again when Magnus moved a bit.

Magnus smiled when Alec gave him the permission to swim around for a little bit with him, so he started swimming slowly, in circles and was careful not to swim too far from the shore. The feeling of floating on the water, even though not on his own, was new to Alec and he needed to admit it that he quite liked it.

“Having fun?” asked Magnus when he noticed a small smile spreading across the young male's lips and he quickly nodded.

“Yeah,” admitted Alec. “Sorry for not listening to you earlier... I was making such a fuss over nothing.”

“You'll see, I'll teach you how to swim in no time and after a while you're going to be one of the best swimmers out there,” said Magnus and earned a chuckle from the other one. “If there was a way, I would love to show you my world under water... it is really beautiful,” said Magnus, who was now thinking out loud and Alec's heart shuddered when he heard those words. He knew that the two of them had gotten pretty close, but he had never thought that Magnus liked him that much. “Ah, it's really a pity that you can't breathe under water.”

“You do know that there is a special equipment… diving equipment… for us humans that allows us to breathe under the water, right? So there is a way,” said Alec and chuckled when he saw how happy Magnus looked about that. Magnus continued swimming around in circles for a few more minutes and then stopped, looking down at Alec, who was now smiling widely.

“Do you want to try floating on your back?” asked Magnus. “It's an awesome feeling being able to float on top of the water. I'll help you.”

“O-Okay,” stuttered out Alec, trying to ignore the fear that was coming back.

“Great!” said Magnus and then swam towards the shore, letting go of Alec when he was sure that the other one was able to stand on his own. Alec felt a bit uncomfortable, because he couldn't stand properly, since the water reached up to his chin, but he said noting in protest this time and he decided to trust the other male.

“What should I do?” he then asked.

Magnus placed one of his palms onto Alec's back and then gave him a small smile. “Just try laying back,” he said. “I'll hold you with both of my hands. Come on just try it.”

Alec formed loose fists with his hands and he then nodded. He closed his eyes tightly, took in a deep breath just in case and then slowly leaned back. Since he was moving too slowly, Magnus gently pushed him back and Alec's eyes widened in shock, but he soon calmed down when he saw a pair of hands under his back. Despite all that, he still struggled to completely relax and his body was feeling stiff; his every muscle was tensed up.

“That's it,” said Magnus, excited. “You're now floating on the water,” he said. “Just try to relax a bit.”

Alec slowly opened up his eyes and blinked a few times, looking up at Magnus. “Are you for real? That's it?” he asked, surprised to see how easy it actually was. It was true that he wasn't doing it on his own, but that didn't matter to him at the time being; he was too proud of himself.

“See? What did I tell you?” said Magnus and then chuckled. “Now close your eyes again.”

When Alec closed his eyes, Magnus smiled and continued holding Alec with his hands. When he was sure enough that the other one was stable enough to float on his own, he slowly let go of him, being careful that Alec didn't feel a thing. As he did that, the other one didn't even budge, because he couldn't feel that Magnus's hands were gone from his back. Also, he was enjoying himself far too much to be caring about that.

'I knew it that he was going to be able to make it,' thought Magnus to himself and smiled. 'I wonder if it is okay to let him know that he is floating on his own now?'

Magnus laid back onto his back as well and enjoyed the waves carrying his weight for a little while, until he had swam towards Alec and his hand gently brushed the other one's. Alec's body stiffened a bit at that, because he didn't know what he was touching, but since he trusted the other one, he decided not to make too much panic. His eyes were still closed, so he didn't see that Magnus was now floating next to him. However, when Magnus properly took his hand into his own and gave it a gentle squeeze, Alec's eyes snapped open and terror filled his heart... Where the hell was Magnus?

“Stop panicking, I'm here,” said Magnus softly and Alec looked towards him. “Before you accuse me of betraying you, I should tell you that you don't need me anymore to be holding you. You're doing it own your own!”

“I am?” asked Alec, both surprised and excited.

“Yeah,” stated Magnus happily.

The two of them continued having fun in the water for quite some time, until Alec had it enough and decided to go on the land. Magnus watched him with a smile on his face how he headed towards the shore and was so caught up in the moment that he forgot to warn Alec about the big wave that was approaching him. Since Alec was caught off guard, the wave had surprised him and knocked him onto the ground. Magnus tried not to laugh at his friend, but he just couldn't keep a straight face when the other one sent him a nasty look.

“You couldn't warn me about it?” said Alec, turned around and sat down, looking his limbs to see if he got scratched anywhere from the fall.

“I'm sorry,” said Magnus with a chuckle and then swam towards the shore. “You alright?” he then asked when he was really close to Alec, and the young man's eyes widened when he noticed how close the other one really was not his face. “Hmm? What's wrong?” asked the merman and cocked his head to the side, supporting the weight of his body on his hands.

“Y-yeah,” muttered Alec, who was now having a hard time with thinking straight. Magnus's dark hair was wet and Alec watched water drops falling from his hair, down his face and finally back into the sea. Once again, he felt as if the other one had put him under some kind of spell and he swallowed thickly. Yes, he most definitely was in love with this creature and the fact that Magnus wasn't a human being didn't matter to Alec. To him, he was perfect and he didn't want to have it any other way. He then took in a deep breath in and did what he was wanting to do for some time now; he leaned closer to the other one and gently pressed his lips against Magnus's.

“Alec?” asked Magnus curiously and his eyes widened when he felt a pair of lips pressing against his own.

 

 

* * *

 

_Aftermath and ending_

* * *

 

After the kiss, Alec didn't know how to react since his mind had gone completely blank and even though kissing Magnus was something that he wanted to do, he quickly made an excuse and he then left, leaving the other one completely alone on the beach. As he was running away, he could hear that Magnus was calling his name in order to make him stay on the beach a bit longer, but he ignored him; he didn't even know why he was acting like that. He just wanted, no needed, to be alone to clear his thoughts a little bit. Magnus was going to hate him after doing something like that to him; there was no denying in that! He ran towards his apartment and locked himself inside, even though he knew it was a stupid thing to do in the first place; it wasn't like the other one could follow him home; he didn't have legs that would allow him to follow him on land. He then quickly went into his bedroom and threw himself on the bed, covering himself with bed covers and he let out an annoyed groan; he didn't even allow Magnus to react to their kiss at all. What was the other one thinking now? Was he disgusted by the kiss? Did he like it? At that Alec quickly shook his head and a sad smile appeared on his face.

“There's no way that he liked it or wished for it to happen,” he said to himself, his voice small and somehow broken. He didn't know what to expect really. It was him who ran away, so there was no way that he could go to the beach the next day and pretend that nothing had happened, especially after running away. Did he hurt Magnus's feelings with running away? The young man knew how much the merman loved hanging out with him, so leaving without giving him a proper reason and goodbye was bound to hurt Magnus's feelings just a little bit.

“I'm the worst,” said Alec, continuing the monologue with himself and in the end he decided to go to sleep; there was nothing that he could do about that that day. It was already pretty late and he was so tired that he couldn't even think straight. Thinking about the kiss wasn't all that bad; he liked the feeling when Magnus's soft and cold lips were being pressed against his, but what he didn't want to think about were the consequences. He knew that he probably ruined his friendship with Magnus and he didn't even know how he was going to be able to bring himself to look him into his eyes... not to mention to speak with him. With that on his mind, Alec closed his eyes and drifted into the lands of dreams.

When Alec suddenly left Magnus alone, his eyes widened and his brain couldn't register what was going on; everything happened so quickly. At one moment, Alec placed his lips over his own and before he had the time to respond, he was already running away from him. When their lips made contact, Magnus didn't know why, but his heartbeat sped up and his face grew hot. He had never experienced something like that, but even though the feeling was new to him, he liked it and wanted for it to last a little longer. Much to his disappointment, the pressure of Alec's lips was gone in a heartbeat and Magnus's eyes widened when he saw that the young man didn't even want to look at him. Did he do something wrong? Why was Alec running away from him?

“Alec what's going on?” he asked and watched Alec walking backwards and his heart fell to the pit of his stomach when he saw that Alec started collecting his things into the bag and then without saying anything, he just decided to leave. “You are leaving already? Can't you stay for a little while? I mean it's not even that late and-” he tried again, but as he did that, Alec started running. “Alec, please wait!”

But the other one wouldn't even look at him and his chest tightened a little a bit at that. What did he do wrong? Magnus tried to come up with something, but he couldn't think of anything that would seem to upset Alec the way that he looked upset. The previous happiness disappeared from his heart in a blink of an eye and was replaced by the well too known loneliness which didn't bother Magnus in the past. However, now the feeling was unbearable and all that he wanted to do was to run after Alec and ask him what he did wrong. With disappointment, Magnus slowly swam towards the open sea and then sank under the water; maybe that way he would be able to feel a bit better.

He kept swimming around in circles, but in the end he stopped, because Alec and the previous kiss kept replaying in front of his eyes and a small sigh left his mouth. He swam above the water and by that time, the sun was already shining brightly. 'I guess I will see him in a few hours,' he thought to himself, his mood brightening a little bit. Maybe Alec would explain him then why he had suddenly kissed him and then just left without saying anything. It was as if he could still feel the other one's lips against his own and he gently skimmed his wet fingers over his lower lip, his whole body shuddering at that.

The night came much slower that day than usual to Magnus, but when it finally came, he quickly swam towards the shore and waited for Alec to come, just as he did so many times. His smile widened at the thought of seeing Alec again and the previous incident had completely left his mind; he was that excited. Alec still wasn't there, but that didn't matter since it was still pretty early and he clumsily made his way out of the water, dragging his body up to the shore and then threw himself back onto the dry sand, feeling completely exhausted. His tail was happily wiggling around the warm sand and playing with it.

Alec, on the other hand, was still in his apartment and was pacing around it in circles since he didn't know what to do. He knew that Magnus was going to be heartbroken if he wouldn't show up that night, especially after storming away like that the previous one, but he still couldn't bring himself to go and see Magnus; he needed to think about things and what he was going to say to the other one. What did he really feel for Magnus in the first place? Was it really love or just fascination? He didn't know how to answer to those questions himself and he didn't want to do something that he was going to regret in the future. So because of this, even though he could feel it that Magnus was waiting for him, he decided not to visit him that night, no matter how much he wanted to see him. Alec walked into his bedroom, threw himself onto the bed and then covered himself. Closing his eyes, he clenched his jaw when the image of Magnus flashed in front of his eyes and he somehow managed to convince himself to fall asleep, instead of visiting his merman. 

**\- - - Next week - - -**

After a whole week or so, Alec was still in the process of avoiding Magnus and he was feeling really bad about it. He knew that it was horrible of him to suddenly stop visiting the other one, especially after what he did. Not only that, but he knew how much Magnus liked his little visits. But, he really needed that time to collect his thoughts a little bit and think about what kind of future he wanted. After days of thinking about his feelings for Magnus, he finally came to the conclusion that he really had fallen for him, which was a good thing. The only thing that worried him was how Magnus was going to react if he was about to tell him. He knew that the other one probably was never in a relationship before and it made him wonder; did he even know what having romantic feelings for another being felt like? Magnus had mentioned him a few times that he was completely alone until meeting him, so that made him a bit nervous.

It was already night time and Alec was nervously packing his things into his usual back, getting ready to go to the beach and finally face Magnus. 'Is he angry with me for suddenly leaving him like this?' he thought to himself. 'I owe him an apology, if he is mad or not. Leaving him must've felt even more horrible for him than it did for me.' Shaking his head, he picked up his bag and headed down to the beach.

Magnus was feeling completely devastated after that week and he didn't even know what to do with himself. When Alec didn't show up after the first night, he was still hopeful, but now after the whole week he knew that he needed to admit it that the other one wasn't going to show up any time soon. He was currently resting on the beach, still waiting for Alec since he didn't want to give up after such a short period of time, but he knew that it was useless. His heart filled itself with a feeling that was unknown to him before meeting Alec, loneliness and sorrow and all the he could do was sit there and feel sorry for himself.

He suddenly despised himself and the sea; if only he had legs... then we would be able to go after Alec. He actually tried going there once on his own, but he didn't come far and no matter how much he wished for it, he just couldn't grow a pair of legs. There were countless numbers of legends of how creatures like him suddenly grew legs and became fully human, but Magnus knew that they were just legends and there was no way that he could live on land. Maybe was that he reason why Alec stopped coming; was he so tired of having to go down to the beach every night just to see him? Temperature suddenly dropped and Magnus brought his trembling arms around himself, hugging his body and he closed his eyes.

“I knew it,” he whispered to himself. “Humans are all the same, I was right to hate them. Why did I think that Alec was different from them?” His own words cut into his heart like blade, but he couldn't do anything about it; it was the truth, wasn't it? Alec didn't really care for him; he just kept hanging out with him because he was entertained to have a merman for a friend. But now he got tired of him. It was all over.

Magnus knew exactly what a kiss on the lips meant between human; it had the same meaning as it did among his own kind. Love. Affection. Loyalty. Exactly what he felt for Alec and thinking that the other felt the same, it made him feel happy when they shared that kiss. The feeling was mutual and he was glad about that. But what he couldn’t comprehend was why Alec was avoiding him.

'It doesn't matter if he hates me or not, I still want to see him,' he thought to himself and bit his lower lip. He tightened the grip around his body, wanting for Alec to be the one holding him and his eyes shut tightly. 'I miss him... I want to see him... please, come and visit me tonight.' The wish to see the young male was so strong and Magnus was prepared to do anything just to be able to spend one more night with the other one; just to say his goodbye to him properly. At least then, he would have some closure.

Alec was literally running towards the beach and before he knew it, he was already standing there. As he was walking closer to the sea, he saw someone sitting on the sand and he immediately knew it that it was Magnus. His eyes grew huge and he quickly made his way to him, his heart breaking when he saw that Magnus was hugging his shuddering body. At first, Alec thought that he wasn't feel well or something like that, but when he heard quiet sobbing, his own eyes welled up as well and he quickly wrapped his arms around Magnus, who wasn't ever aware of his presence yet.

Startled, Magnus almost pushed Alec away and his eyes widened when he suddenly found himself in a warm embrace. “W-who are-” started Magnus, but then stopped talking when he saw that it was Alec. A knot formed in his stomach and he didn't know how to react. Alec was still holding him, but he pulled back a bit, so that he could properly look at him. Magnus was happy that he was able to see him, of course he was. But instead of smiling, more tears started spilling down his cheeks and all that Alec could do was to hold him tightly to himself as Magnus continued sobbing and crying into his shoulder.

“Shh, calm down... I'm here now,” said the young male and chewed on his lower lip when he felt how tightly Magnus was holding onto him. “C-come on, stop crying,” he then tried again, his own voice shaking a bit. He placed his lips on top of Magnus's wet hair and pressed a few kisses there, before moving them to the other one's ear and started whispering sweet little nothings, until Magnus was finally able to calm down.

“Why did you stop coming?” asked Magnus and looked down. “You have no idea how lonely I was. Before meeting you, I have never felt like this, but now... I felt empty inside without you around and I couldn't handle it. I-I though that you were never going to show up. Did I do something wrong?” he asked ad before Alec was able to give him an answer, Magnus interrupted him. “I tried going after you, but I couldn't... I have no legs that would carry me to you. S-so I thought that you got tired of me or-”

“Never,” quickly stated Alec. “You are perfect the way you are, I don't care if you can or can't walk on land. That doesn't matter to me,” he added and Magnus's eyes became wet again. Alec quickly kissed his tears away and then pulled back.

“T-then why?”

“I thought that you would hate me after the kiss,” said Alec and then quickly looked away, feeling his face heating up once again. He had practiced this speech in his head a lot of times and he thought that he was ready... but now he wasn't so sure anymore. “That is why I couldn't bring myself to see you. I haven't grown to hate you or something like that... It was the other way around.”

“Hate you?” asked Magnus, completely confused. “Why would I hate you after the kiss?”

“You don't mind the kiss?” asked Alec, hoping that Magnus had the same feelings for him as well.

“Why would I?” asked Magnus, who was genuinely confused by that point. Weren’t kisses supposed to show how much you cared for another human being? Didn’t kisses express love and loyalty? Why would he hate it? “Aren’t kisses supposed to express love and admiration among humans?” he then said and made a short pause. “I love you.”

When those three simple, yet important, words came out of Magnus's mouth, Alec's eyes widened and he blinked a few times, wondering if he had heard it right. For a split second he was sure that his mind was just playing tricks on him. It wouldn't be the first time either. Alec’s eyes found Magnus’s and he could see anticipation and fear in his eyes. He swallowed thickly, finding his throat to be really dry at that point. Clearing his throat, Alec looked down and then back up. He didn’t know what to think about Magnus’s sudden confession and his body froze.

Magnus was staring at the other male, waiting for him to make any kind of reaction. But all that he got out of Alec was a shocked expression and silence. Alec still had his hand behind his neck, while the other one which had been in his hair, fell down onto his thigh. Magnus could hear his own heart thumping hard in his chest and it felt like having a heart attack. The silence was killing him. Why wasn’t Alec saying anything? Magnus thought that Alec would be happy to hear that. But then again, his confession was really sudden and random, so he gave a few moments for the other one to understand what was going on.

“W-what?” slowly asked Alec and cleared his throat. The reality that Magnus must’ve had feelings for him was slowly sinking in and even though Alec couldn’t believe it at first, his heart swell with warmth and happiness. Because Magnus wasn’t saying anything, Alec allowed himself to move a bit closer to him and he brought his hand up, gently touching Magnus’s cheek with it. “You love me… y-you feel the same way as I do?”

When Magnus heard Alec confess his feelings for him, he could have sworn that he was going to melt from the heat wave that washed over his body. He then slowly nodded and fought the urge to look away. “I do, I love you so much… It took me a while to realise it that I-” started explaining Magnus, but was interrupted when Alec’s lips were suddenly placed on top of his.

Alec knew that he needed to hear Magnus out completely, but he just couldn’t wait anymore. He dreamt of a moment like this ever since he could remember, so when Magnus started talking again, he just couldn’t restrain himself anymore. He locked their lips into a gentle and soft kiss. Alec gasped at the touch of their lips and smiled when a tingling sensation started spreading from his lips throughout his whole body.

That time, it was Magnus’s turn to freeze. His whole body stopped moving when Alec kissed him and even though he was dying to return him the kiss, he couldn’t get his body to move. His heart started beating much, much faster and his eyes slowly fluttered closed when Alec kissed him again, implying a little more pressure to the kiss. Finally, Magnus managed to get the control over his body and returned the other male a careful, but much needed kiss.

Feeling that Magnus finally started to return him the kisses, Alec allowed himself to move a bit closer to him and he moved the hand which was still placed behind Magnus’s neck, up to his hair and gently tugged on it, making pleasant vibrations spread through his body. Alec smirked when he heard Magnus’s hum of approval and he then moved his other hand up to Magnus’s cheek, tracing his fingertips over it. Nervous, Magnus brought his hands up and placed them onto Alec’s chest, feeling his fast heartbeat and he smiled to himself.

He then moved his hands a bit lower and was pleasantly surprised to feel Alec’s hard muscles through his shirt. Magnus blushed at that realisation and quickly brought his hands up, clutching Alec’s shirt to bring him closer. The feeling of Magnus’s cold and soft hands exploring his body made Alec chuckle. He allowed himself to break their kiss again for a few moments and looked into Magnus’s eyes. The way that Alec was looking at him was making Magnus chocked up. All that he could see in his eyes was pure love and his heart throbbed at that.

“I love you,” breathed Alec against Magnus’s lips, making him gasp. “God, I am so in love with you.” Those words made Magnus’s chest heavy with feelings, but in a good way. Magnus nodded, mouthed to Alec that he loved him as well and then pulled him closer in for another kiss.

Alec’s heart almost melted at the feeling of feelings Magnus’s lips against his own again. He had never thought that he would have his feelings returned, so this still seemed like a wonderful dream to Alec. Yes, he had dreamed of something like that countless number of times and he always woke up disappointed. But this time it was better, because this was the reality that he had always craved for. It finally happened. It’s been years since he’s been this happy.

As Alec continued to think about that, it was like something snapped inside of him and soon his kisses grew much bolder and needy. He licked Magnus’s lower lip and merman’s stomach burned with anticipation. He was more than eager to part his mouth, inviting the other one in. Alec quickly took the bait and slipped his tongue inside. Magnus gasped at the sensation of something warm and wet entering his mouth and let out a small whimper when their tongues brushed against each other. Alec had his hands in Magnus’s hair, while Magnus was still nervously tugging on his shirt, their tongues battling for dominance. Magnus soon lost the battle, which he didn’t mind and let Alec dominate their kiss.

Alec smirked after realising that Magnus gave in that easily and he then slowly pushed Magnus down onto the soft sand. Magnus opened his eyes and was surprised to see that Alec was already on top of him, his tail nervously wiggling across the sand. He blushed at the realisation and quickly looked away. However, Alec quickly held his chin and forced him to look at him. Magnus swallowed thickly when their eyes met and he flushed into deeper shades of red.

“So adorable,” said Alec and flushed himself after saying that out loud. Magnus wanted to say something in protest, but chuckled after he saw a faint blush colouring Alec’s cheeks. Wrapping his arms around Alec’s neck, Magnus pulled him down and Alec kissed him again.

 Alec’s lips slowly travelled to Magnus’s ear and then finally stopped on his neck. Alec kissed it a few times and then gently sucked on Magnus’s exposed neck, causing him to moan softly. Alec chuckled and then sucked the sensitive spot on his neck again a little rougher, leaving a mark. “Mine,” suddenly heard Alec himself to say and Magnus’s eyes widened. He didn’t know that Alec could be that possessive of him, but he liked it… it was something new.

“Hmm? Only yours you say?” asked Magnus teasingly.

“Yes, you belong only to me,” said Alec seriously, but then his warm smile cracked his serious expression.

“I like the sound of that,” said Magnus slowly and moved closer to Alec again, kissing him again. “From now on, we will be together, forever, right? You won’t leave me, even though I don’t have legs?”

“Of course not,” whispered Alec against the other’s lips and smiled. “I don’t care about that. You are wonderful the way you are. Now then, come here,” whispered Alec again and kissed his adorable merman yet again.

 

* * *

 

  _ **The end  
**_

* * *

 

 

 

 


End file.
